Planning for your next vacation? Consider booking a room at an eco-friendly hotel. There are numerous things to think about ranging from organic linens to environmental certification. The truth is that being organic means a lot more than recycling and eating organically.
LEED certification
This certification is the gold standard for hotels, restaurants and other buildings. It stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The certificate is meant to tell whether a facility fulfills rigorous sustainability standards regarding material and water usage and energy efficiency. There are some other seals as well that you could be thinking about.
(photo by www.sheknows.com)
Linen reuse
One of the simplest things that the hotels and motels can do is not to change the sheets on a daily basis. If you are looking at the offers of a given hotel, you should check whether it has a towel and sheet re-use program.
In the majority of the cases they have a system where you can signal whether you would like to have your sheets and towels changed or not. Just consider that such a simple thing can save a lot of energy and water.
Recycling
It is important to know whether the hotel that you are planning to stay at has a recycling program. Usually the hotels recycle paper and plastic, but some of them also recycle gray water. This is the water used in the kitchen and laundry room. It can be recycled to water the grounds. Otherwise it would be discarded as waste.
Non-toxic cleaners
One of the things that a hotel could do to become an eco-friendly one is to opt for non-toxic cleaners. The customers shouldn’t be shy about asking about such things. If the hotel uses cleaners of this kind most probably they have some information about it on their website and they will be more than happy to tell you about it.
Restaurant
This is the place you should check out if you want to learn more about the sustainability of the hotel. If they use local and organic produce or if they have a rooftop garden, if they recycle frying oil or if they have any other kind of eco-friendly projects they will surely advertise it. If this is the case most probably the hotel has the same practices.
These are some of the guidelines that you should consider when choosing your next vacation destination.
